This invention relates to volatile memory elements, and more particularly, to volatile memory elements that demonstrate soft error upset immunity.
Integrated circuits often contain volatile memory elements. Typical volatile memory elements are based on cross-coupled inverters (latches). A volatile memory element retains data only so long as the integrated circuit is powered. In the event of power loss, the data in the volatile memory element is lost. Although nonvolatile memory elements such as memory elements based on electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory technology are not subject to data loss in this way, it is often not desirable or possible to fabricate nonvolatile memory elements as part of a given integrated circuit.
As a result, volatile memory elements are often used. For example, static random-access memory (SRAM) chips contain SRAM cells, which are a type of volatile memory element. Volatile memory elements are also used in programmable logic device integrated circuits.
Volatile memory elements are subject to a phenomenon known as soft error upset. Soft error upset events are caused by cosmic rays and radioactive impurities embedded in integrated circuits and their packages. Cosmic rays and radioactive impurities generate high-energy atomic particles such as neutrons and alpha particles. The memory elements contain transistors and other components that are formed from a patterned silicon substrate. When an atomic particle strikes the silicon in the memory element, electron-hole pairs are generated. The electron-hole pairs create a conduction path that can cause a charged node in the memory element to discharge and the state of the memory element to flip. If, for example, a “1” was stored in the memory element, a soft error upset event could cause the “1” to change to a “0.”
Upset events in an integrated circuit corrupt the date stored in the memory elements and can have serious repercussions for system performance. In certain system applications such as remote installations of telecommunications equipment, it is extremely burdensome to repair faulty equipment. Unless programmable logic devices and other integrated circuits demonstrate good immunity to soft error upset events, they will be unsuitable for these types of applications. At the same time, care should be taken to ensure that too much circuit area is not consumed by the volatile memory elements on an integrated circuit and that the volatile memory elements exhibit good performance characteristics.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to improve the soft error upset performance of volatile memory elements in integrated circuits such as programmable logic device integrated circuits.